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Monday 8 Dec 2025

Time capsule marks 200 years of modern railway and looks to future

Rail memories sealed in world’s oldest rail roundhouse until 250th anniversary 

A time capsule, packed with anniversary artefacts, is to be tucked away in Derby for at least 50 years, as part of a national campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway. 

The Railway 200 capsule was handed over today (Monday, 8 December) by Railway 200’s programme manager Emma Roberts to Heather Kelly, deputy CEO at Derby College Group.  

It will be stored in the Roundhouse at Derby College to mark this year’s bicentenary and herald a simpler, better and greener railway, driven by the next generation of pioneering talent.  The capsule will remain unopened for 50 years until the railway’s 250th anniversary in 2075. 

Jack Rhodes, 19, a rail apprentice at Derby College who works for Alstom, attended the event and said: “As the railway looks towards its next 200 years, it will demand new skills and fresh thinking, and I’m ready to embrace that challenge.  Railway 200 has shown me that this industry never stands still and I’m truly proud to be part of its next chapter.” 

Derby was selected as the preferred UK location for the historic capsule as the city represents the future of rail, after being chosen as the HQ for Great British Railways, building on its proud rail heritage.  The Roundhouse is the world’s oldest rail roundhouse, built around a central turntable for locomotives, and is now part of the Derby College campus. 

The contents of the capsule include: 

• a letter from the Railway 200 team to the organisers of the 250th anniversary 

• a sealed personal letter from the Rail Minister to his successor in 2075 

• a commemorative coin from The Royal Mint 

• a selection of commemorative 200th anniversary pin badges 

• a newspaper, dated 27 September 2025, featuring the bicentenary celebrations in North East England, inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825 

• a commemorative poem from the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage CBE 

• a train ticket from Railway 200’s unique exhibition train, Inspiration 

• an illustration of Inspiration by artist Tom Connell 

• a Railway 200 Challenge Badge, developed for Brownies and Girl Guides worldwide 

• a contribution from The Greatest Gathering, the world’s biggest rail festival, hosted by Alstom at its historic Litchurch Lane site in Derby 

• the winning poster from a competition, organised by train operator Northern, inviting fresh interpretations of the classic British Railway posters of the 1920s and 1950s 

• Dale Bristo’s winning entry in the Railway 200 Young Railway Photographer of the Year Competition 2025, organised by the Railway Photographic Society and the National Railway Museum 

• a news article featuring the winning design of the ‘Uniform of the Future’ competition, run by train operator LNER and the National Railway Museum 

• a letter from the Railway 200 Charity Partnership (Alzheimer’s Research UK, Railway Benefit Fund, Railway Mission, Transport Benevolent Fund and Railway Children), which raised money to protect rail memories for the future 
• today’s speech notes from Jack Rhodes, rail apprentice at Derby College 

Railway 200’s Emma Roberts said: “In time-honoured fashion the capsule captures the essence of what has been an amazing celebration of rail’s transformative impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.  We’re delighted that it will rest in an iconic building in the new home of the railway, as the city helps to shape the future of a British invention that changed the world. 

“When opened, in fifty years’ time, the Railway 200 capsule will be a poignant reminder of a landmark year in rail’s continuing development.” 

Heather Kelly, deputy CEO of Derby College Group, said: “It is an honour for Derby College Group to safeguard this time capsule at the heart of the world’s oldest rail roundhouse. As we mark 200 years of modern rail, we are not only celebrating a remarkable past, but we are also empowering the next generation who will shape its future. Our students, apprentices and industry partners are driving innovation every day, and this capsule is a powerful symbol of their ambition. When it is opened in 2075, I hope it shows how today’s commitment to learning, skills and collaboration laid the foundations for a greener, smarter and even more inclusive railway for generations to come." 

Baggy Shanker, MP for Derby South, added: “Derby is the past, present and future of Britain’s railways. Housing this capsule is a tribute not only to our historic strengths, but to the new opportunities ahead as we establish the GBR headquarters in our city. We have always been a place that makes things — and makes things happen. Our city's skills have powered Britain’s railways for generations, and they will shape the next 200 years. 

“Looking forward, our priorities are clear: better services, greener technology and skilled jobs for the next generation. The future of rail is being written right here in Derby.” 

Catherine Atkinson, MP for Derby North, said: “This time capsule is a reminder that Derby doesn’t just preserve history – we make it. Our city is home to world-leading rail expertise, from cutting-edge manufacturing to the young people beginning their careers in the sector today. 

“As we celebrate 200 years of rail, we’re also investing in the next generation, ensuring Derby remains a place where skills and innovation thrive. I’m delighted that the capsule will stay here at the Roundhouse until it’s opened by future engineers, students and civic leaders in 2075.” 

Councillor Carmel Swan, cabinet member for climate change, transport and sustainability at Derby City Council, commented: “Derby isn’t just riding on the rails of history – we are laying the tracks for the future. The placement of this time capsule here, at the iconic Roundhouse, reaffirms our status as the unrivalled centre of the UK rail industry.  We are forging a future where skills, high-tech manufacturing and global excellence ensure that when this capsule is opened in 2075, Derby will still be recognised as the place where the future of rail is always made.” 

Railway 200 is a national cross-sector celebration of the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.  Since kicking off on New Year’s Day with a ‘whistle-up’ of 200 locomotives across five continents, more than 10,000 activities and events have engaged with millions of people to celebrate the role of the railway in their lives. 

The Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration, is touring Britain until the end of June next year, showcasing the railway’s pioneering pedigree and encouraging more people, especially students and schoolchildren, to consider a career in rail.